perceive my terrible plight.’
‘Don’t look at him,’ warned Chloe, gripping her brother’s sleeve. ‘Don’t listen to him.’
‘Oh, please master, mistress, helping me. I am a real and bona fide person in thrall to these creatures,’ cried another mask, one of straw and raffia with wild hair and whiskers. ‘If you could just assist me to get out, my liberty would be your just afters.’
‘Maybe there is someone in there,’ Alex said. ‘What if there’s another kid like us?’
‘He has long gone, our Gatherer. Gone, gone away.’
‘When have you heard a kid talk like that? Don’t listen to it. You mustn’t take any notice. They want you to take them out of here and they’ll hypnotise you to do it. The bat told me that once they get hold of you, they won’t let you go.’
‘What – what will they do?’
‘Just keep walking.’
‘Lord of walking things, borrow me.’
‘Happy child, taking please an unhappy face?’
At certain points they had to move quite close to the masked figures, but Chloe kept her eyes determinedly on the far side of the Land of Masks. She gripped her younger brother’s hand almost fiercely, pulling him along with her. Alex wasn’t always the strongest person in such a situation. He was impressionable and easily persuaded, like the time he gave all his pocket money to a beggar on the London Underground. The important thing was to ignore the pleas of the masks. Oh indeed, it was difficult to ignore the imploring voices around them. Chloe was surprised how hard it was not to turn and look, but she knew how dangerous it was to fall for Attica’s tricks. She was learning fast that if they were to meet Jordy again, find the map and get out of this nightmare, they had to keep their wits about them.
‘We’re out!’ she said in a relieved voice, still holding on to Alex. ‘We made it.’
‘Free,’ said Alex in a peculiar voice. ‘Brothers and sisters, goodbye.’
Chloe turned, alarmed.
Alex was wearing a mask.
‘Oh, Alex,’ she said in despair.
The mask he had on was made of raffia and clay. It had a tall conical top to it, like a witch’s hat, painted black with white sticks attached to it. The face was painted black with white spots. There were holes for the eyes and a slit for the mouth. Here and there, on the forehead and running up the strange hat, were white zig-zag lines. The final touch was the beard of thick brown raffia. The mouth and eyes were lined with white paint.
‘How did that happen?’ cried Chloe. ‘You must have grabbed it with your other hand.’
Trust Alex to get himself in trouble, even after warnings. Now Chloe felt she had to be firm with him.
‘Take it off!’ ordered Chloe, gripping the mask. ‘Throw it back in there.’
‘Leave me be, woman,’ it said. ‘Desist. I am Makishi. You cannot throw me away like a piece of trash.’
Alex sided with the mask. ‘Leave it alone, Clo. I like it.’
‘You can’t like it – it’s hideous,’ said Chloe. She was afraid the mask had somehow bewitched Alex into putting it on his face. It might eventually do her young brother harm.
‘It lets me see things,’ replied Alex mysteriously.
‘What things?’
Alex was cagey. ‘I’m not telling you. You’ll want a go with it. I might let you later, when I’m fed up with it.’
‘I wouldn’t put that thing on if you paid me. It smells for a start. They must have glued it together with buffalo dung.’
‘You’re not going to get the chance. It’s my mask. I found it and I get to keep it.’
‘And I get to keep Alex.’
‘See?’ said Chloe. ‘That’s the kind of remark that worries me. Now, what do you want?’
‘I don’t want anything,’ replied a peeved Alex. ‘I just want to keep the mask on.’
‘I’m talking to the mask. Mask, now you’ve escaped, why do you need my brother?’
‘To walk, to move, to be carrying me.’
Of course, the mask was nothing without a wearer. It had no powers at all if it were not worn by someone. Chloe had to believe that Alex was still all right behind the mask. She asked him how he was.
‘I’m fine,’ he replied. ‘I like the mask.’
Chloe said, ‘Well, you can keep it on for now. We’ll think about getting it off you later.’
For the moment Chloe decided they just had to keep going. The day was fading from the skylights and she wanted to be well away from the other masks before she